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From now on there’s going to be two parts of my life: pre August 29 and post Aug 29. Yesterday, August 29, 2010 was the first time I ever performed my own songs and sang in front of a crowd. My whole life has been a build up to performance. My style as a music student has been to practice everything in private until there was nothing else to do except perform. Well, that time is now.

I am at the point where I just have to get out there and be in front of others to build my confidence and my stage performance. The biggest lesson I learned from my first time was that my mind needs to stay focused on the words I am singing and forget about the people watching. I realized that to be a professional is to have a clear mental idea of the words and phrase to be sung, whereas when I went up there I was paying too much attention to the group outside of me and wasn’t focused wholly on everything I was trying to do. It caused me to flub a few vocal and guitar parts, but oh well, I am pleased with my first time out.

I performed two songs. First I read a poem while playing my guitar, and then I sang one of my songs called “Wild Life.”

Anyway, now is forever post August 29, and that means that I am now a developing performer rather than just a guy who practices. For years I have wondered what this day would be like and when it would arrive. I have long thought that once I reach this point then I am getting close to mastery. Things are only going to get better.